The present invention relates to an opto-electric logic element, and more particularly to an opto-electric logic element which is capable of performing a logical operation upon at least one optical input signal and at least one electrical input signal. The logic element may also be capable of storing an optical input signal.
Optical communications using optical fibers is expected to find wide use in the future, partially because optical fibers have a wide frequency bandwidth, which permits the rapid transmission of a large quantity of information. Also, optical fibers are immune to induction noise. In an optical communications system, the information to be transmitted is converted into an optical signal from an electrical signal by means of a transmitting apparatus, and the optical signal is transmitted through optical fibers and is subsequently converted into an electrical signal at a receiver. The optical signal is utilized as a mere transmission medium which serves to transfer a signal from one point to another, taking advantage of the fact that the transmission loss of the optical fibers constituting the transmission path is very small. Heretofore, the optical signals have not played a positive role in signal processing, i.e., logical operations have not been performed using optical signals, per se. The field of application of optical communications systems would be greatly widened if it were possible to perform logical operations upon combinations of optical and electrical signals. Likewise, if the storage of an optical signal could be accomplished under the control of an electrical signal, and if the results of operation and storage could be obtained in the form of optical signals, greater use could be made of optical communications systems.